Starting on the right foot: 4 tips to kick off your Partnership (3 min read)

You’ve done the work in the background to secure that first meeting, and have just finished laying out the roadmap with your new partnership

Everyone’s excited about the possibilities, and chomping at the bit to get going.

It’s now time to bring it to life.

In this article, we’ll provide 4 tips to ensure your new partnership launches on time, on budget, brings everyone together on the journey, and most importantly, leads you on the path to success.

Get your ducks in a row

The first - and most important element to get started - is to review and confirm your shared objectives for the partnership.

Overlooking - or forgetting - this critical step will sail the partnership into choppy waters before it even gets going.

Here’s a checklist of questions to follow to make sure everyone’s aligned before you get going:

• What are the objectives of our partnership??
• What does success look like together and for each of the partners??
• What are our timings?
• Who’s responsible for what?
• How will we work together?

For each question, simply list out each item to ensure no stone is left unturned - and most importantly, there are no surprises after you’ve started!

Top tip: don’t *assume* everyone is aligned before you get started. Taking the time to go through each and every point before you press ‘go’

Communication is key?

As with every relationship, communication is key (and no, we’re not moonlighting as marriage counsellors)

With an element of structure and a sprinkling of process, your new partnership team will come together as one before you know it.

Ensure regular ways to keep the team updated - and most importantly - in sync.

Some ways to do this include:

• Hold regular kick-off meetings which cover the plan for the week - we find it’s helpful to do these are the start of the week on a Monday morning
• Hold a short but focussed mid-week review point highlighting any risks or issues along with any mitigating actions required
• Keep a track of progress with monthly reviews?
• Consider setting up a partnerships Slack channel for the core team

Top tip: create a simple spreadsheet which tracks all the tasks with clear ownership and timings for each?

Keep progress checks succinct and focussed?

You want to come away from your progress check-ins with a clear outcome.?

Whether that's agreed upon changes moving forward, or simply a clear understanding of your current position.?

An agreed upon meeting agenda with your partners will ensure both parties are focused and subsequent check-ins follow the same structure.

In our previous article ‘5 steps to ensure a successful first meeting with a new partner’ we provided a few tips on preparing, and sharing the meeting agenda that you might want to take a look at.

Successes should be celebrated!

A LOT of work goes into creating partnerships - so don’t forget to celebrate your successes and wins as you go.

These don’t have to be grand, elaborate affairs - a simple recognition on Slack often goes a long way!

This is also critical when it comes to cementing the relationship of your new teams, creating a culture of trust, transparency and most importantly, that essential spirit of One Team.

Top tip: consider holding an end of week, or perhaps fortnightly social - either in-person or virtually. Just don’t forget, not everyone drinks…!

Bringing it all together?

You’ve put in the hard graft to get the partnership off the ground, now’s the time to ensure nothing less than a gold-star delivery.

By following these 3 yet simple tips will help set you apart as a Partnerships Pro.

For more practical tips and advice when it comes to creating partnerships, subscribe to our newsletter Diary of a Partnerships Pro, follow our podcast Game Set Match Up, and access our Findr library packed full of helpful content and insights for partnerships professionals.